Originally conceived in the 1950s as a way to bring Europeans together after World War II, the Eurovision Song Contest was never just about the music. With the 2009 finals in Moscow coming May 16, TIME takes a look at the years when controversy shouldered the singing out of the limelight

Greece Vs. Turkey

By Glen LevySaturday, May 16, 2009

Following Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus, the dicey relations between Turkey and Greece spilled over onto the Eurovision stage. Greece withdrew its entry in the 1975 contest in protest over Turkey's inclusion. In 1976, Turkish TV refused to broadcast the Greek performance "My Lady, My Lady" as it was suspected of being about the invasion. The animosity continues to this day in the contest's scoring system, in which each country gets to vote on every song: Greece famously likes to award top marks to Cyprus, while Turkey traditionally gives it the cold shoulder.